#kade winters

[preshtagonist]

Way back when, the first time i ever drew @spookydarling & @befuddledklutz's blorbos

[subwaytostardew]

Update: New Portraits!

I finally got around to making vanilla-sized portraits for submas! There's no HD Portraits support for 1.6 just yet, so I cleaned up their original portraits to match Stardew's color palette a bit better (so much hue-shifting...) since I couldn't really record events with lazilly downscaled portraits. I'm still working on Elesa's right now and I still need to get to everyone else, but it's chugging along...

Anyways, here's Ingo and Emmet's new portrait sheets!

▷ Station Steward Thylak

[rescuebotsoutofcontext]

[agentsquirrelsgotrobots]

The Rescue Bots vs snow tires: the saga

Thank you @transingthoseformers for the idea.

It was that time of year again.

The first few snow flurries had been a week ago, and the weekend forecast called for snow. A lot of it.

It was now Charlie's least favourite day of the year.

Getting four massive, touch repulsed robots into their snow gear.

Unfortunately for Charlie, Heatwave had picked up a boat alt mode of all things, which made things a little bit more complicated.

Unfortunately for the bots, their tires don't adapt to icy roads, meaning that their tires have to be swapped manually.

Fortunately, there weren't many places they could hide from the dreaded tire iron.

"Heatwave! You first." Kade said, a shit eating grin on his face as he swung around the ratchet. "Don't be shy, it's like going to the dentist."

"You are never going to let me live that down, aren't you?"

"Absolutely not."

Blades chuckled off to the side. His weatherproofing was just a spray coat over his paint job and some rubber grips on the bottom of his landing gear. "It's a good day to be a flyer." He crowed.

Chase was waiting obediently for his turn. His tires had to be replaced frequently because of normal road hazards and all the high speed chases, so this was a monthly occurrence.

Next to him, Boulder fidgeted with his newly attached snow chains. He, unlike Chase and Heatwave, had figured out a way to put those on himself. He still had Charlie and Kade check his work just in case.

Heatwave grumbled as Kade and Charlie worked. They were getting faster at it, at least. He still tried very hard to think happy thoughts while little fingers poked and prodded his wheel wells.

After a long hour and a half, all of his wheels were swapped out, his old tires stored away for the spring. As always, he made himself scarce to sulk. Charlie made a note to hunt him down to winterize his boat mode later.

Chase's tire swap always went faster, having less of them while also helping where he could.

But finally, after adjusting Boulder's snow chains for a better fit, the whole ordeal was done for the season.

[tjalexandernyc]

TRIPLE SEC is 1 month old

That's 1 month that my queer polyam cocktail romcom about a brusque bartender with a heart of gold getting picked up by a gorgeous, fat high femme and her artsy nonbinary partner has been out in the world.

I didn't share this when doing interviews and stuff, but I wrote this book in the middle of one of the worst depressive episodes of my life. The winter and spring and much of the summer of 2023 was…bad for me. It was a struggle just to keep my head above water, let alone sit down five days a week and work on a story that was supposed to be fluffy and funny while I felt anything but. I was so worried that everything I was going through would bleed out onto the page and infect my safe little romcom world. There were times where everything felt hopeless. "But doctor, I am Pagliacci" vibes, for real.

I wish I could say writing this book brought me out of the depression. It didn't; my life's circumstances improving did. And after a year of recovery from that bout, I have been able to truly enjoy the response to TRIPLE SEC instead of thinking of it as the work I had to do while I felt so awful. We're not enemies, I've realized. This book and I were bunkmates in a terrible war that happened in my head; we've been through a lot together. We'll go through a lot more.

I have heard from so many readers who are holding this story close to their hearts: poly people who've never seen a relationship like theirs on the page; divorced people who, like Mel, didn't think they could ever find love again; nonbinary and undiagnosed hotties who see themselves in Kade; plus-sized girlbosses who have welcomed Bebe; drinkers and sober people and New Yorkers and folks on other continents and bartenders and librarians, who've all been kind enough to say, "I like what you made. It means something to me." I cannot thank you enough for that.

So on its one-month birthday, I thought I'd tell you what this book means to me, even if it's complicated, even if it means taking off my clown makeup for a second.

If you enjoyed TRIPLE SEC, please do me the biggest favor you can do for an author: tell your friends about it, leave reviews on websites, ask your library to stock it, gift it to someone you think will like it. Every little bit helps.

Wishing you a gentle July and a Disability Pride Month rife with justice. 💜

[taocc-updates]

”Oh, you like Taocc? Name every character.”

BET.

edit: I added the vague number of total characters listed. We’re at about 270, and I’m still adding characters.

(*By technicality

**formerly/no longer active/no longer acknowledged by the narrative as existing

***exist as of like ten seconds ago

I will only be including characters recognized as part of Taocc by more than one person. Characters will be vaguely grouped together however the frick I feel like and with only the vague suggestion of transitions. A character must have a tangible role that still has effects at the time of posting to be counted. I’m not counting all the deactivated characters from OG Taocc, for example. I am referencing the updates blog list as well as my following for this, because the challenge is to name them all, not to name them all by memory. Animals barely count sometimes when I feel like it.)

Gangle, Ragatha**, Pomni**, Kinger**, Zooble**, Caine*, Bubble**, S-Gangle, Shadow, Kaufmo, Sproingle, Unnamed Abtractions*, Easton West, Northa West, Lonn Gitud, Lattia Tudor, Felicia, Caleb, Zachariah Woods, Zombie anon, Simon Mallory/Silhouette/Aleksander, Isaac Brennan/Mix, Elida Doyle, Alice Mallory, Nikolai Harrison/Carbine, Artemis/Kepler, Calamity/Cassandra, Remnant, Sami Harrison, Yelena, Daniel, Artem, Charles/Plague Doctor Anon, Dialtone/Drias, Ilas/Amalgam, Trevor***, Archie***, Abigail***, Stella***, Paisley***, Espresso the Cat, Edward/Pharaoh, Abayomi, Clown Anon, Colorbine, Helpful Anon, Waffle Anon, Sparkler Anon, Kumo, Kopi, Violet, Stitch, Chance, Nightmare, Arthur Pendragon, Verie Pendragon, Mercutio, Juliet/Assassin Anon, Aokigahara, Dunite, Rocky, Rusty, Ryan, Dunite’s Parents, Deedee, Usagi/Usa, Icia/Ice anon, Fred, Odette/Odysseys, Samuel, Mytha, Celio, Basso, Vaga, Nova, Hexe, Slynn, Yume, Yume’s Mother and Father, the Protector, Ramona/Rae, Mirobelle, Ramiro, Achilles, Dime, Aklatan, Latte, Alexander (kingdom edition), Mocha, Switchboard, Ace Zeppelin, Damsel, Levi, Nathan, Myau, Nya, Mynou, Dusk, Jessy, Amelia, Jessy’s mother, Fynn, Joy, Ciana, Apollo, Virgo, Aster, Lance, Raina, Flare, Citrina, Citrina’s sisters (the only named one is “Jade”), Nymn, Nymn’s ex, Fae anon, Clara, Chip, Alpen, Unnamed Zodiac Angels, Kade, Feris, Pixel, Vanessa, Unnamed Arcade Worker 2/Mike, Conny, Shairo (deceased permanently), Hans, “John Smith”, Gun Pirate (lol), Unnamed Drunk Pirate, Unnamed Jar Lady, Unnamed third pirate with a gun, Dalia, Mikey, Anderson, Toga, Abstraction Anon, Quin, Blaze (Squiffer edition)/Zephyr, Skeleton anon, Mage Anon/Tanya, Camara, Avian, Sign Anon/Steven, Origami Anon/Octavia, Tea Anon/Kitsune/Katrina, Simon (Bookend), Seer anon/Sarah, Umbra, Arrows anon, Bow Anon, (Other) Bow Anon, Hex, Sun, Moon*, Sigil, Insanity, Dusty, Lantern/Eternal Flame, Eternity, Darkis, Infinity, Entity, Ember, Unknown, Juko, Lilo, Bob, Hammer, Mallet, Fox anon, Teleporting anon, Nuffle, Pyxel, Thanatos, Tiger, Siam, Sabrina (Sun’s daughter), Taika, Sisu, Quest, Tip, Stranger, Radio, Shelly, Astrion, Gaia, Aella, Electricity anon, Conspiracy anon, Bap Anon, Eve.chr, Phoenix*, The Dragon of Abyss, The Dragoness of Sky, Lemonade/Lewis, Reverie/Guidance anon, Unnamed Autumn Season, Unnamed Winter Season, Neb, Cardlan, Minimi, Entity (Backrooms edition), Casper, Manna, Pamela, Eden*, Grif, Trudy, Pen, Paper, Sophronius, Acacius, Milo, Drunk anon (deceased), Scissors anon, Thief Anon, Void anon, Cupcake anon, Chaos Enjoyer Anon, Thyme, Angst anon, villain anon, “Lucy”, Simp anon, Comax, Pickle gifter anon, pickle stealer anon, fish anon, deus ex machinanon, mail anon, foundation anon, lost anon, dropkick anon, Bug anon, Paranoia Anon, Rocket launcher anon, Kyubey, Mimic, Rodger, Ludvic, sunshine anon, anger anon, Frazzle, Wade, Loyal anon, Loyal Servant anon, the cookie run cookies lol, Felicia (top hat edition), Tophat, Greenie, Red(?), The Polygon Bees (TM), Eepy anon, Ethan, Dark, Void/Ollie, DJ, Star, Mercury/Marcus, Elysia/Evangeline Elizabeth Ambrosia, Blaze (Planetquest edition)/Brandon, Jasper, Callista/Leilani, Ursula, Ari, Lumiel/Lark, uhhh…I think that’s it

did I do it do I freaking win

Someone please count how many characters there are (there should be one comma per character if that helps)

Edit: Nevermind, I did it for you.

This is a vague number, the actual number is higher than this, maybe about 270-300

[duckprintspress]

Help Us Reach Our First Stretch Goal: Last Day to Pre-Order Scrap Metal Angel!

We are thrilled to share that we’ve met our minimum funding goal to cover the publishing of Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron!

Our first stretch goal, which will reward all our backers with a bonus prequel story about Kade Mauzy (already written and edited and ready to go!) is just over $500 away. Can we hit it? That depends on you! We’d love help signal boosting this post or any other post about the campaign that suits your fancy – word-of-mouth is how our campaigns succeed.

What’s it about? Well, the above graphic gives some basics, but for more…

Secret Gates have protected mankind from the unknown chaos beyond the edges of reality for millennia, and now, all that stands between everything humanity knows and the horrors outside it are a depressed trans man, his exhausted partner, and a creature ill-suited to the world after being pulled from his own horrific reality. This is Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron, an urban fantasy where only fragile Gates protect all we know from eldritch, incomprehensible magic. This is the world that Adrian Somer is determined to save.

Learn all about the book and the merch we’re offering by visiting the campaign page!

Pre-orders close at midnight on October 25th 2024. Unable to back the campaign before pre-orders close? Don’t worry! Scrap Metal Angel will be available for sale to the general public starting during the winter of 2024/25, from our website, major online retailers, libraries, and many other places where books are sold!

[annabelle-creart]

What´s the worst thing someone who has a the most big and gorgeous vehicle can have? Not being able to use it on winter because learn to drive with snow on the road is dangerous.

And what´s worse than that? That Doc´s new invention made it have more walks (and flies) than you would do in a normal year.

But against all probabilities, Heatwave really wanted to drive that thing, not because it was a gift from the other timeline they end up by accident, not because he wanted to impress (ok, just a little bit), not because he wanted Kade to shut up, but because he was ashamed, he, being a similar vehicle, wasn´t able to drive it, like, how it was possible? He was a firetruck and most of the functions were the same, why it was so hard to be the one on the flywheel?

“Heatwave! Look at this!” Boulder called from the comm link, sending to Heatwave´s visor a… really? “Is so cute! Don´t you think?”

“Yeah, pretty cute” Heatwave lied, he wasn´t the one who melted for a kitten with big eyes and a bow, but for him it was easy to lie just with his voice than with all the body, and didn´t have the spark to tell Boulder otherwise “Watcha doing?”

“Oh, nothing special, just relaxing, Blades passed me the photo, she found it on a forum.”

“A what?”

“A forum! I thought you already knew what it was.”

“Ah, pfft, course, I just didn´t understand the first time” He was lying again.

“Hm…”

“Believe me, why are you doubting?”

“Because you make me doubt a lot.”

“In what sense?” Heatwave asked in a serious and worried tone.

“In the sense where I just discovered you were lying, again.”

“Wha- Pfft- what made you say that?” Heatwave tried this time to relax his way of talk, accidentally using an awkward tone.

“Heatwave, are you really listening to yourself?”

“…No.”

“See?” Boulder replied definitely more relaxed than their partner, “admit it, you can´t lie to me.”

“No, I can´t, ahg” Heatwave sighed in frustration, squeezing his fingers on the flywheel “why it is so hard to lie to you?”

“Nah, the problem is you, you´re a bad liar” Boulder replied with soft hums that imitated a little laughing “a really bad one.”

“Yeah, yeah, there´s no need to repeat it” Heatwave said evasive, Boulder just chuckled on the comm link.

“Well, I´ll leave you, see you tonight?”

Heatwave is not feeling really okay today, but that´s not an obstacle for him! It never was and will never be! He passed through worst things and yet, nothing had putted him on rest or stopped, he could with a truck and he could handle with more... right?

Happy Birthday, Heatwave. Part 1 is available on Ao3 for registered users and Wattpad

[toilandtroubled]

𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠 + 𝙠𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙨𝙣𝙤𝙬

I’m dying, he realized. And Gods but it was a peaceful thought. He’d been born half a corpse, and all his life he’d spent limping towards this conclusion.

He closed his eyes against a shuddering breath. And there was his mistake. For behind his eyes, even now as his blood pooled beneath him in the snow, he still saw her.

Sansa.

Her hair like autumn, her winter eyes . . . I will never see her spring. Never see her blossom and bloom and burst forth from the dark and cold. Petals unfurling, hair uncurling as it cascades down her back—

He forced his eyes open. Even now he didn’t dare to dream of her. And what a waste of all the beauty he’d hoarded away in his mind. A thousand tender images he never dare retrieve. Of the long slope of her neck, a loose strand of hair looping the curve of her ear, the delicate arch of her fingers as she held a quill.

His breath fogged the air in front of him and he felt his eyes water as though it were smoke.

Sansa, brave Sansa. Oh he wanted to tell her. Needed to tell her.

I’m dying, he thought again, but it was not half so peaceful now. A sudden desperation was taking hold—the fervor of a deadman. But without think on his madness, with a cry and a grunt, he pushed himself onto his side, and then onto his front, and with his one good hand he began clawing at the frozen earth and started to crawl.

He pulled himself across the yard, through the massacre, and over the scores of bodies. There was no much blood it was hard to know just how much of it was his. He was not strong, not fast or even very alive, and his arm and leg were screaming for reprieve as he hauled himself towards the crypts.

He was dying, and she would never know. For, fool that he was, he had never told her. And he could not abide his own failings. He had to tell her, all of it, every last word. He had to . . .

But then he remembered. Locked. The crypts are locked. There would be no way in.

And death was coming, headlong and undeterred by his passions. His arm burned while the rest of him chilled, and Kade felt the coolness of the ground rush up to meet him. He had to tell her, but that darkest darkness was wrapping around him. Oh but she knows.

[preshtagonist]

the girl!! she's finally in this one!!!! echo mention!!!!! (feat short-haired maia and kade tripping the fuck out)

Echo & Maia @spookydarling

Kade @befuddledklutz

bonus under the cut!

gottem

[bizlybebo]

ashe winters or something happy birthdau

i love her

HOLY FUCKING SHITT I LOVE HERRR THANK U KADE. HITTING YOU WITH A WINNEBAGO <3333

[obigem]

Cordie felt triumphant in getting Jai alone with her in the living room. Jordie's fail safe approach to just bat her eyes apparently was a winning formula, but she couldn't help but notice that Jai seemed a bit distracted. More than he'd ever been before.

It made her question if she was doing something wrong. And if she was she'd need to get back on track fast.

For Jai it was clear where his attention was, and sadly it wasn't on Cordie. Luckily, Dr. Fletcher led his mother to the dining room so he could still keep an eye on her.

All it took was for him to see his mother nearly trip over her own ankles as she crossed the room for his stomach to sink further. She was loaded. How was he meant to salvage this?

"Do you think so, Jai?"

"Huh?" He had completely missed what Cordie had said to him.

"I was just saying that this movie is really romantic. I saw some of the reviews for it, and everyone was saying that it was really sweet. So I just wanted to know, if you felt the same about it." Her eyes were hopeful.

"The same? Um, what movie is this again?"

"The Silent Rose. The main character Rose, she's meant to tell her true love her feelings the night of the ball, but she gets cursed and her voice is taken away. Before the next winter her true love must kiss her to lift the curse, or she'll be mute forever."

"It's tragic and sad, but isn't it also romantic? That one kiss could do so much?" Cordie batted her eyes again. The movie choice was intentional, to put Jai in a kissing mood, but for Jai—

"Umm..." He heard about every other word of her synopsis as he strained an ear on his mom.

From what he could hear, Dr. Fletcher was showing his mother some family photos.

"The top one is from Cordie's 13th birthday party, and below that was the Henford vow renewal Cam and I had. It's crazy to think there was 10 years between those events. Time sure flies." Dre sighed.

"Such lovely pictures," Anna slurred, "And so, so many. Samson and I, we, we barely didn't not have had has 2 nickles to scratch."

"Pardon? Samson? I thought your husband's name was Kade?"

"Yes, Kade has no nickles either. But Samson, my first, we did a courthouse marriage."

"We didn't has much at feerst, but he was a good man, very good man, a provider."

"That's...OK. Cam and I didn't start out with much at first either. There's nothing wrong with humble beginnings."

"Yesh. Did I tell you you smell nice? You smell nice."

"Umm, yes, you did."

[three-of-crows]

(either Katya and Lann or Kadee and Katya!)

3) casually linking arms, holding-hands, sharing hugs that lasts a teensy tiny bit longer. AHHHHH

One million years later...

IT’S GIRLS TIME!

"Ok, everybody, let's do it from the beginning."

The weather around the Wound was as weird as the landscape and everything that lived there. But it didn’t mean the local Ulfen community would let the approaching equinox pass without a celebration. If the endless winter back in their motherland never stopped any of their ancestors, neither a Witch's trickery would do that.

The group of people was in the square of the citadel, laughing and talking to each other. There were not only the Irisseni folk, but Mendevian people as well, and even some mongrels joined the rehearsal.

Bjorn clapped two times, and everybody made a circle again. Kadira reached her hand for the girl by her side, but she refused politely, saying she was tired. Before the tiefling could say anything, a familiar light shone in her peripherical vision.

"May I join you?"

Ekaterina was there. Bjorn, the 'dance master', scoffed, "Look at who decided to leave the burrow".

"Can you love me less, dear brother?"

He gave a playful smile. "I just can’t. Ok, let's do it! One, two, three and..."

The people followed his instructions, though many of them already had understood the coreograph movements. Some still bumped at each other and giggled, but the circular dance kept going on.

Kadira was self-aware of her hooves all the time, but couldn’t help and stayed there. That dance reminded her of her grandparents and the small parties her family used to organize. And when Ekaterina appeared and asked for her hand — literally —, she felt more nervous e made her best to concentrate.

Though she was not free of mistakes as anybody, and bumped at the druid by accident.

"I'm sorry," that was her first reaction.

Ekaterina laughed. "You are ok. Phew... I lost the ability to do this."

"No, you are good at this," Kadira disagreed.

Two lines were formed and they had to leave each other's hands. Kadira felt slightly weird when the warm palm of the druid left her alone.

"Clap your hands, clap your hands!" Bjorn walked through the lines.

The lines mixed and Ekaterina and Kadira was apart. The tiefling craned her neck and spotted the woman smiling at her mother in the meantime.

Her heart got small.

The bards kept playing, and the dance kept its flow. It seemed a decade until the sequence of the circle was restored.

"I got you," Kadira said as her arm reached Katya's.

The redhead smiled. "Did you miss me? Because I did."

Kadira thanked the destiniy for her skin didn’t blush easily. Though her tail could be too much talkative, and she coiled it immediately.

"And we are done!" Bjorn cheered the people up. "Good job, everybody!"

Some were so relieved that they finally made it that started to hug each other. Kadira and Ekaterina stayed in the same place, with linked arms for a long time.

Annya approached behind them, passing her arms around their waists. "My beautiful girls."

Her gesture made them get closer. Pressed against Katya, Kadee closed her eyes, afraid that her expression could be as talkative as her tail.

But when she noticed, Annya has gone for a long time, and she simply was attached at the other.

"Shelyn, help me," pleaded quietly.

Though, deep down, she was not sure if she did need help.

[subwaytostardew]

The sprite work looks amazing as always, you can really tell how much time and effort went into the designs!! It's always a treat to see an update, here or on Youtube. Also, I love how we got a Ginger Island update in Winter and a Winter update in Summer. What's next on the agenda?

I didn't realize the Ginger Island update was in winter... How funny!

(Just to make a disclaimer... Updates may be slowing down from here since I have work/life stuff pulling me away from modding and Kade's route is rocky as she is trying to find a new place to live and barely supporting herself as-is with two jobs.)

As for next on the agenda... I've been meaning to make an updated checklist of things we'd like to finish before the mod is in a state where I'd consider it ready for release- so I might as well update on it here! I probably forgot some things and more things will probably break, but off the top of my head- this is what we have on our intinerary.

▷ Station Steward Thylak

To-do list

Station repair events: These will probably be shorter and not too elaborate (by our standards... They'll be more like vanilla with its 1 minute long events).

Schedules: The pathing broke. I need to figure out how to make Emmet stop sleeping in the middle of the ocean on a Friday night. I'd also like to make new schedules for when the station is built but I need to finish the events for those first so they a flag to activate upon. Cilan doesn't have a schedule at all since he spawns in the station and the game would crash if I tried to load a schedule for him without locking it behind the station repair events.

Fixing events: We need to go back and replace some of the event animations with new commands. The Pokeball effect and battle animations broke. I'd also like to try to edit some other event aspects to be less janky and more concise (the intro events pain me). Emmet's 8-heart event will need to be heavilly edited regarding this... You know how long that is.

Emmet's 10-heart event: Ingo has his done... It wouldn't be fair for him to not have one either! Aside from the station repair events, this is probably the most important event on our to-do list but also... the biggest work-in-progress. We have a lot of asset creation to do (Nimbasa... A dining car interior... Date visuals...) as well as figuring out the script. I have an idea for the main themes and what happens in the event, we just need to figure out how to execute it. We're mostly stuck on the actual... date montage part... We'll figure it out.

1.6 festivals: I felt bad enough having my original plan to have Emmet partake in the Ice Festival's fishing competition (he got sensory overload 😔... coding-wise it's just not possible for me to make him fish in a festival) and then 1.6 added not just one but TWO more fishing festivals for him to feel bad about. He likes winning more than anything, but I don't think Emmet is particularly good at fishing. Eelektross isn't either by Eelektross standards; together they make one average fisherman. I'd still like to have them comment on them (but ahhh.... Sad Emmet...). As for the Desert Festival- they for sure need to partake in that. We just need to scope out coordinates and make dialogue. Maybe make custom shops for them too? (Not too familiar with that... I haven't figured out the whole... Custom items and shops thing yet. Need to do that.)

Year 2 festivals: Apparently custom NPCs don't default to their first year of festival data and will not be present at succeeding festivals unless if I specify festival data for year 2. That means we have to make another round of festival dialogue for all the festivals! Yay... These will probably be shorter/closer to vanilla lines compared to the year 1 festival dialogues.

12-Heart events?: I know I said I would probably leave marriage events for a later update (alongside platonic routes) but... I don't think they're really "complete" as NPCs without marriage events. They're only romancable for now and there isn't really much incentive to marrying them otherwise! The events I have in mind (beachside dinner with Emmet, exploring the tidepool area with Ingo) aren't too elaborate and more just set-up for what I have in mind for the "conclusion" to their story/relationship development. I have a tendency to procrastinate so I might get sidetracked making these later. Besides, I've been thinking about the date ideas from earlier a lot and I miss coding events (my favorite part of modding… As you can probably tell… It's fun to me.)

Ingo's daily dialogue: I've been lagging behind when it comes to reorganizing the lines in Ingo's daily dialogue file to be more cohesive... It's like +20 pages long... I reorganized Emmet's but... Ingo... There's just so much...

Other daily dialogue: Elesa and Cilan have little to no lines (Cilan has ONE). We'd like to make them somewhat worth talking to even if we will be adding in their events/full routes in a later patch.

Marriage dialogue: This actually breaks if all the keys aren't filled out, so we will need to write more lines for them there. Should be easy enough.

Ingo's letters: Kade wrote drafts for them, but I'd like to polish them before release (more train terms!!! and edits for cohesion). Proofreading for Ingo is just a drag... I've also been thinking about giving him matching odd-heart events for if you try to break his heart donate his gifts to the museum.

Side/Passenger events: There's still a few events that we have in the drafts as well as event ideas that should probably be included in the main release as it elaborates more on passenger interactions+worldbuilding. Currently, I'm coding an epilogue of sorts to the Pierre/Saloon event storyline where you get to listen to Ingo infodump in an event conversation with Abigail. There's also another partially finished event of a double battle between submas that would start the Maru storyline which would include more worldbuilding around Pokemon in the valley and end with Maru helping them with care- hence why they make a stop at the clinic on Tuesdays! Buuut... That event broke thanks to 1.6. Oh well. I'll get it done eventually.

[faultfindingfirebot]

Since December 22nd is traditionally celebrated as Midwinter and is the longest night of the year, that’s where I’m planting the Rider tradition.

The bots and Burnses have officially taken responsibility for keeping the Rider of Midwinter tradition alive from Mrs. Neederlander, though she still supervises the bread production process.

Every winter, her cabin in the mountains is temporarily linked into the groundbridge network for a few days and everything goes from there. This way, the townsfolk neither see the bots going back and forth, nor can they smell the bread baking. Plus, it keeps the team seconds from the firehouse in case they’re needed for an emergency while they’re working on the bread.

The rescue team is also still responsible for stacking logs for the community bonfire the morning after the bread is delivered, and Heatwave and Kade have to light it and keep an eye on the thing while it burns… and, of course, make sure it gets put out properly when everything’s over.

[spyridonya]

~kissing them as a bribe to keep them in bed~

Hello Anon! I hope you enjoy this. I did my best after a dry spell. And a demanding cat.

It's not so much he's immune to cold as he's used to it, the bone deep chill of the winters in Kenabras clung onto the skin due to the moisture in the air. Drezen, for all the complaints among his companions, was a dry cold. Nenio had explained to him once that there wasn't a difference, but Lann had simply nodded and decided not to complain within earshot, lest Nenio forget her earlier bone dry lesson on why he was wrong.

Not that Lann was foolish enough not to dress warmly as means of survival. But he knew the slight difference meant everything against his skin.

So, it wasn't the cold that was making getting up harder in the recent weeks.

It was a wonderfully warm body always pressed against his own that made greeting the dawn just a bit more trouble than it was worth. The mongrel noticed that both the tiefling and the aasimar had a tendency to cling when they shared their respective beds with just him but when they were all there were together, Kadira was the one that happened to cling to him while asleep when she was in the middle, her weight warm and soft and her hair spread over his bare chest with her face buried in the scales of his neck while Daeran spooned behind her.

Of the two, Daeran seemed to be the lighter sleeper, so that was a minor blessing from Iomedae in keeping Lann’s routine relatively normal. As normal as possible.

Even when they don't have sex, Lann's head is still making sense of the patterns being established—having someone close by for warmth, for better or worse. Someone warm and comforting. Someone who accidentally kicks or snores. Someone who steals covers. He knows it's common among mongrels to share sleeping piles with siblings, so that might be a tolerance he's only learning just now... but the tolerances almost seem worth it. He's sure it's all a game to Daeran at the end (which oddly makes his heart ache), though Kadee takes it seriously in private (he wishes she would in public). 

A new normal, or something torn from him again to remind him of his place in the world. 

Those thoughts only come faintly as he begins to shift his legs under the sheets and feather comforter, letting that cool dry air slide over his chest as he begins to push it down his chest and over the suppleness of Kadira's shoulders. And most times he's able to do this without rousing her and tucking her in again. 

It could have been brushing his foot against her tail, it could have been sleeping later than normal for him, it could have been anything. But the heavy weight of her head on his chest lifts and he finds himself looking down at her. Her blue eyes are pale with his dark vision, the bleached shadows of her skin making them silver, while her hair is a mess that only magic could solve. Her mouth is lush and kissable and the sleepy sweetness makes Lann’s throat constrict. He quarter hopes she'll smile and settle on him again, and minutes later he'll try escaping her warmth when she’s asleep.

Rather, her thick brows furrow and her tail slides around his calf. "Lann." She says plaintively.

"Good morning." He whispers, mindful of their partner, but his eyes entirely on Kadira.

"Where're you goin'?" She mumbles, falling back to the speech patterns of childhood, her hand grasping for his shoulder.

"The barracks and range, you know that, same as always." He can't resist cupping her face, letting the claw of his left side brush against her lower lip. She responds with a groan and light nip to his thumb.

"No."

"I can't let Seelah be the only one who lifts things around here," Lann explains.

"Stay."  She murmurs, her lips brushing over the line where human and lizard are divided, her tongue playing at the furrows of skin and scale and making him shiver from his head to the tips of his toes. (And to the root of his cock.)

"Kadira." His voice is hoarse, "If I'm not doing my training and don't stay strong, Daeran won't let me live it down. D'you know how unbearable that'll be? We'll never see the end of his smugness."

"You like it," She accuses, her lips ghosting kisses down his chest, her voice a little clearer, the silken fur of her legs shift over his as if to trap him.

"But you'll complain about his smugness too," His protests are weak, because he doesn't want to go, because she asks for so very little.

"Mhm, worth it." Heavy breasts press against his torso as she kisses his human side, lips not quite against his nipple as she shifts her weight. "Please, stay."

"We're going to wake up Daeran," A change in tactics, though he realizes it's a poor decision when the silver-blue eyes look up to him, her sleepy smile impish. "Wait, you'd like that."

"Mhmph." She agrees, thighs straddling his hips while her lips press to his collar bone, then kissing the pulse at his throat, "You would, too. Stay."

His hands cup her face again, the battle lost and he knows it, studying his reward with a tip of his head. Lann still isn't sure why she desires him so, why she turns into something soft, sensual, and kittenish in the privacy of his gaze. But if he's learned anything in the last few weeks as he strokes her cheeks with this thumb to pull her closer for a kiss, he really should stop questioning it.